Moving tank Questions

[OhsCC]

I am planning to move my 55 gallon tank about 7 miles over the weekend to my house. I have read many moving threads but I would like to know if anybody else could give me their .02. I have 4 inch live sand bed, some live rock(getting more once I move), and 2 aggressive fish(done with fish additions). I was thinking about draining my water out into buckets since I heard that it is best to keep at least 60% of your old water. I will then keep just enough water in the tank for the live sand. The fish will be in a smaller tank with a divider. So here are my questions:
Will 2 people be able to carry a 55 gal (glass) tank with sand?
Do I need to put any wood under the whole tank to support the structure to prevent cracking?
Do I need to cycle the tank again or is everything ok?
Once I have the tank set up when do I add the fish?
Anyother suggestions would help greatly.
Thanks for your time and help.
Corey

 

[Scottis24]

I had to move my Oceanic 58 Three Months ago. I used all new water, and moved all of my fish in a bucket which I got from Dunkin Doughnuts (Dounught filling comes in white 5g buckets and is non toxic and free if you ask.) AS long as you mix your water ahead of time you will be Ok. You should be OK moving the tank with just the sand in it. Take out your LR and put it in a bucket and cover it with wet newspaper, just like when it was shipped to you. Take your time and set everything up correctly and add your water. You may want to pick up a cheapy heater from Wall mart to keep your water for your fish bucket warm and use a powerhead for circ. one of the problems I ran into after moving was salt creep, so check your connections really well, and don't forget to get the teflon tape ahead of time (Doh!). I think you will be fine. I have to move my setup 5 hours away soon so I am gonna plan a lot ahead. I don't keep coral so it should be an easy move. Maybe I'll just buy a new tank with the promotion.......

 

[jazzyreef]

Like Scott said, you can get buckets from local places--I'd also add that most bakeries get malt syrup and pastry fillings in these buckets as well.

I'd be very careful if you're moving a 55 with 4" of wet sand in it. That's got to be 100lbs of sand alone. I just moved a 75 a couple months ago, and took out the gravel. When refilling the tank, I put my rubbermaid storage bin lid on top of the gravel (about 30"x16"); the gravel detritus didn't get stirred up much at all. The tank was very slightly cloudy for a few hours. No more. I should add though that I live in a 3rd floor apt., and moving a 75, which already weighs nearly 100lbs, and full of gravel, was not going to happen.

The reason I caution is that going over hard bumps, even in a short car ride, can be devastating to the silicone seal on the bottom of the tank. I knew a friend that moved a 55gal similar to how you're describing, and a day later the silicone gave in one corner; saltwater slowly dripped all over his office. Luckily he was there, and got the local service guys (me and some coworkers) to change over the tank immediately.

 

[jazzyreef]

I just wanted to say that I wasn't saying it can't be done. I suppose the guy I referred to was less than ultra-careful...just use caution, and, lift with your legs!!!lollol. I got the 'weak back' gene from my father. Good luck.

 

[Scottis24]

I would have to agree with jazzy, I would be REAL carefull moving the tank with the sand, you might want to fab a jig to place under the tank in the the car to support it correctly. at the least I would put a heavy layer of eva foam over a plywood sheet (at least 1/4") that is 54"x24" if you have a standard 55 which measures 48x18. That would help with the load dispersal problem jazzy was speaking of.... HTH

 

[OhsCC]

The only reason I wanted to leave the sand in there is because I thought that if you took the live sand out it would increase the die off and creating a cycle. Also, if you put the bottom sand over the top sand doesn't that kill the live sand that was on top? I would like to take the sand out but not if it cost me my live sand. However as yall have said if it may cause leaks I may have no choice but to take the sand out. Thanks for the replies.

 

[reefworm]

Corey,
Here's some helpful input from James Wiseman:

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/j_wiseman_101898.html

and John Meek:

http://www.reefs.org/library/article/j_meek.html

hope this helps.

good luck,
-rw

 

[rhonna]

My boyfriend and I just moved our 55 and 75 gal aquariums about a month ago. It was alot easier than we had anticpated. I bought 4 30 gal rubbermaid tubs and put the rock, fish, and corals in sep. bins and filled them with water from the tank. We drained it down as low as possible and then scopped some of the sand out into a bucket to lessen the load. The tank wasn't that heavy after that but I was advised by the fishstore if you move the tank with anything in it just try not to twist it or it will cause the frame to weaken. He did not loose anything in the move but I did loose all of my fish to ich about a month later. My corals are just now starting to come out and look good and I have yet to unsurface all of my snails and crabs. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I put most of the water back in and did about a 20% water change in the process.

 

[whusband]

i've moved my tank many times - 2 of the times were over 700 miles. i agree w/ what has been stated, and want to add that from my experience, i've learned that the fish do not fair well in a small container. on my last move, which was from central florida to mississippi, i moved the fish in a rubber maid trascan. i put about 15 gallons of water in, and some large pieces of live rock at the botton, making sure the rock was secure. the fish were able to hide in the rocks and not get sloshed around. on this move i didn't lose a single creature - not even a turbo or hermit. it's been 2 months now and everythings doing well.

i once moved my fish in a cooler, and they didn't do well. i only lost one, but all were pretty stressed. from now on i'm gonna move them in a big container w/ places to hide

 

[fishfarmer]

^

 

[Jacqui]

Any sub shop in your area has plenty of clean buckets they would love to give you. Please don't go to Walmart for 5 gallon gas cans, use them and then return them....I swear I will never buy a gas can again without checking it for water!